by Eloisa James
First published 2026
Lady Genevieve Hughes arrives at a remote Scottish abbey in winter with her pet piglet and septuagenarian husband Lord Burnsby. She hopes to encounter ghosts, possibly the spirits of Burnsby's three deceased wives. Instead she discovers unexpected friendships among the eccentric guests and meets Sir Godric Everly, a sharp-tongued solicitor who despises her husband. As buried secrets surface and lies unravel around her, Genevieve finds herself trusting only Godric. When supernatural encounters, contested wills, and a mysterious marriage document expose Burnsby's hidden past, he dies suddenly. This leaves Genevieve widowed but free, though as inexperienced in intimacy as when she first married. She must now determine which guests harbor false identities, whose promises lack honor, and whose revelations threaten her standing in society while discovering where her true affections lie.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, mystery, adult-fiction, 19th-century, gothic
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Scotland
Period: 19th-century
384 pages · Paperback · Gallery Books